Polls close on Irish same-sex marriage referendum
Polls are now closed on a referendum asking Irish citizens if gay marriage should be legal. The vote is the first national referendum of its kind in the world, and is expected to pass, with polls showing about 70 percent in favour. Support is even high among Catholics, with some Catholic priests defying the church to support same-sex marriages. Vote counting will begin May 23.
Study: Gay and bisexual teens are more likely to get pregnant
A study of 10,000 New York City teenagers shows that gay and bisexual teens who have sex with both men and women are more likely to get pregnant than their straight peers. The study excluded teens who only had same-gender partners, so don’t worry: you won’t accidentally impregnate your boyfriend. The study does suggest, say the authors, that LGBT teens need better sex education.
Read more at the New York Daily News or read the abstract here.
Indian mother places matrimonial ad for gay son
The mother of an Indian gay activist has placed an advertisement looking for a groom for her son. Homosexuality is still illegal in India after the Supreme Court recriminalized it in 2013. That did not stop Harrish Iyer’s mother, however, and she says she has received half a dozen proposals.
Kyrgyzstan gay protest attacked
A crowd of men attacked LGBT Kyrgyzstani protesters marking the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia May 17. Police took some protesters to the police station as witnesses, where they were abused and strip-searched, they say.
Read more at Transgender Europe.
The study showing conversations can convince people about same-sex marriage was a fake
A study reporting that a short conversation with a gay person was highly effective at changing people’s minds in favour of same-sex marriage has been retracted after data was shown to be fraudulent. The study’s main author retracted the study, published in the journal Science, after learning that a graduate student had faked survey responses.
Image Credit: Bob Nelson
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